TUSCALOOSA, Alabama - Second-seeded Alabama (34-26) meets third-seeded Troy (40-18) at 11 a.m. CDT Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The game can be seen on ESPNU.

Here are five things to look for in Alabama:

Alabama senior Charley Sullivan delivers a pitch in the first inning of a 3-0 loss to LSU in the 2013 SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

1. Quality vs. quantity

Pitching depth is tested in a regional tournament. Teams could play as many as five games over four days. Starters who eat innings can save middle relievers who might be needed for long stretches late in the tournament. Senior right-hander Charley Sullivan (5-6, 3.56 ERA) can set the tone with a quality start Friday. He's had eight quality starts in 15 starts this season. Sophomore right-hander Spencer Turnbull will get his turn. Then it will be interesting to see what coach Mitch Gaspard does with freshman walk-on Mike Oczypok, who shined for 8 2/3 innings last week in a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to LSU.

Alabama freshman closer Ray Castillo delivers a pitch in the ninth inning of a 6-3 victory over Auburn in a May 21, 2013 play-in game of the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Alabama. He earned his 11th save of the season. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

2. How close is the closer?

Ray Castillo (2-2, 2.61 ERA) is one of many Tide freshmen who have stood out this season. In 13 opportunities, he has 11 saves. That ranks fourth on Alabama's all-time single-season list and ninth on the career list. But because of a sore shoulder, Castillo did not pitch in any of the Tide's last three SEC Tournament games. Gaspard says Castillo is fine now, but seeing is believing. Close games are an Alabama specialty. If the hard-throwing right-hander isn't at his best, the Tide's chances of advancing to a Super Regional are slim.

Alabama freshman shortstop Mikey White connects for his game-winning two-run single in the top of the 10th inning of a 7-5 victory over Ole Miss in the SEC Tournament. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

3. White hot

Freshman shortstop Mikey White has been on a tear lately. Since his batting average dipped to .194 after 19 games, he has hit .331 and now leads Alabama at .286. The former Spain Park High School star hit .350 in 29 regular-season SEC games. In the past 10 games, he has a .450 average and a .650 slugging percentage with three doubles, a triple and a home run. Can he keep it going?

Alabama freshman shortstop Mikey White makes a diving stop and starts a double play against Auburn in the SEC Tournament. (Vasha Hunt/vhunt@al.com)

4. Dependable defense

Alabama's hitting and pitching have been hot and cold this season and only lately have been in sync, but good defense has been a constant this season, particularly up the middle. Freshman center fielder Georgie Salem has made some spectacular plays. White and freshman second baseman Kyle Overstreet have a strong chemistry. They're the big reason why Alabama ranks third in the nation in double plays (76) and double plays per game (1.26).

The Tide was good enough early in the season to push ranked teams into extra innings, but it wasn't good enough to finish. Its record was 1-6 in extra-inning games, but now it's 3-6 after overtime victories over Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. That's a good sign that a young, scrappy team is maturing. Nine extra-inning games are a single-season school record. Even failures in these tests could pay dividends now.